Toowoomba drug rehab centre eyes future expansion
THE region’s only community-based drug rehabilitation centre has laid out major expansion plans, including more beds and even a new facility.
Toowoomba
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THE Toowoomba region's only community-based drug rehabilitation centre has laid out major expansion plans, including more beds, detoxification services and even a new private facility.
Sunrise Way in East Toowoomba is celebrating its short-listing as a nominee for the $10,000 Westfund Community Grant.
If successful, the money will go towards filling funding gaps in the organisation's budget, with government and patient contributions covering just 95 per cent of total expenses.
CEO Louise Sanderson said the acclaimed facility had its eye on expanding and increasing services over the next five years.
"In the near future, we're looking to expand into a private model," she said.
"Our program here actually enables people to come in for six months, but we have found that not everyone who needs rehabilitation can come into a residential facility.
"The private model will be for a much shorter period of time, so that's in our immediate focus and then we'll also look at expanding the number of beds we have here and then eventually look at detox.
"We're at 20 beds now, so at this stage we don't necessarily need detox services, but we've got to stage it (so) detox is still within a three-year time frame."
Sunrise Way is the only nominee from Queensland in the running for the grant, which is decided by an online poll.
Facility board chair and TSBE health general manager Jaden Frame said the pressures of COVID-19 had made the funding even more important.
"This funding boost would ensure Sunrise Way can continue to support a wider range of individuals," he said.
To vote for Sunrise Way in the grant funding poll, head to www.westfund.com.au/grants.
